AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*Shares in JAPAN AIRLINES, aka JAL, fell by 45% today as fears grew that the carrier is heading for bankruptcy. Reports from Asia also say that sales have now been hatled on JAL shares as there are "no buyers". The market drop came on the heels of news that JAL is to slash 1/3 of its workforce and sell non-core assets as part of its financial turnaround plan. JAL's workforce is to decline by a 1/3 over the next 3 years, bringing the workforce to 36,000 in March 2013. The carrier will also sell its hotel chain to raise cash. Separately, AMERICAN AIRLINES has raised the amount it is prepared to invest in the Airline to $1.4bn, a $300m increase, as long as JAL stays with the Oneworld alliance that American is also a member of, along with BRITISH AIRWAYS and QANTAS. It wants to keep JAL from tying up with its own rival, DELTA AIRLINES and its SkyTeam network.

*A new EMIRATES Airbus A380 super jumbo has been grounded at the Seoul, South Korea Airport due to a mechanical fault, the latest in a series of glitches for the world's largest airliner. The plane was scheduled to take off late Sunday for Dubai but the flight was cancelled due to a technical defect. "A technical problem has been detected in the plane's fuel system," said a statement by the Airline. AIR FRANCE's new A380 was grounded more than once last month due to technical problems. Another owned by SINGAPORE AIRLINES had to return to Paris last month for attention due to an electrical fault. And, a week ago a QANTAS A380, bound for Los Angeles, was grounded at Melbourne airport due to a problem with its fuel gauge.

*Justice officials issued a brief update on an incident involving an AIRTRAN Boeing 737 diversion on January 8. On that date, Flight 39 was on Domestic Service from Atlanta, Georgia, to San Francisco, California, when it diverted to Colorado Springs, Colorado, due to an unruly passenger. The aircraft was escorted in for a landing with 2 F16 aircraft. Justice said that an intoxicated male passenger had requested a 6th bottle of wine, which was refused by cabin crew. He began to yell and removed some of his clothing, and then moved to the lavatory where he began to shave. He also grabbed a Flight Attendant who tried to grab him, however a passenger intervened and freed the F/A. The cabin crew secured the cockpit area with trolleys and fire extinguishers. It was at that point that the crew requested diversion and military escort. The passenger has been charged with assault and interference with a flight crew. He faces up to 20 years in prison, along with fines of at least $250K.

*An AIRTRAN Boeing 737 had to make an emergency return to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, yesterday, January 11. Flight 211 was on Domestic Service from Miwaukee to Atlanta, Georgia, with 70 passengers and crew onboard. While climbing thru 15000 feet, the passenger O2 masks deployed without warning. The crew halted their climb and requested return. The 737 landed back at Milwaukee without incident, about 20 minutes later. In a brief statement, AirTran said that the masks deployed due to a minor technical fault. The 737 is out of service undergoing repairs.

*An AIR CANADA A320 had to return to Toronto, Canada, on Sunday, January 10. Flight 1856, on International Service to El Catey, Dominican Republic, was climbing thru 21000 feet, when the crew reported an indication of a malfunction of the thrust reverser. The crew requested to return to Toronto with Emergency Services on standby. The A320 landed back at Toronto without incident, about 35 minutes later. The A320 was removed from service for inspection and possible repairs.

*A TRIP LINHAS AEREAS ATR72 had to divert while enroute, on Sunday, January 10. Flight 5453 was on Domestic Service from Curitiba to Cascavel, Brazil, with 70 passengers and crew onboard. While inflight, near Cascavel, the crew declared an emergency, reporting that the left hand engine was on fire. The crew shut the engine down and activated the the fire supression system which extinguished the fire. The Cascavel Airport had closed while Flight 5453 was enroute due to fog, thus the ATR was diverted to Iguassu Falls, Brazil, where they landed without incident. The aircraft was removed from service for inspection and repairs.

*A BMI A320 had to divert while enroute, on Sunday, January 10. Flight 894 was on International Service from Moscow, Russia, to London Heathrow, when the crew requested to divert while overhead Holland. The crew reported that an intoxicated male passenger was shouting and attempting to start a fight. The A320 was diverted to Amsterdam, The Netherlands, where it landed without incident. The male passenger was taken into police custody.

*A RYANAIR Boeing 737 had to divert while enroute, on Sunday, January 10. Flight 1922 was on International Service from Tampere, Finland, to Frankfurt, Germany, with 153 passengers and crew onboard. While on its initial climb out of Tampere, 2 loud bangs were heard from 1 engine. The crew leveled off at 10000 feet. The 737 was then diverted to Stockholm, Sweden, where they landed without incident about 1 hour later. The aircraft was removed from service for repairs.

*An AIR NEW ZEALAND A320 had to divert while enroute, on Sunday, January 10. Flight 171 was on International Service from Auckland, New Zealand, to Cairns, Australia, with 118 passengers and crew onboard. While inflight at 34000 feet, the cockpit windshield cracked on the Captains side. The crew descended to 23000 feet, and were diverted to Brisbane, Australia, where they landed without incident. The A320 was flown back to Auckland yesterday after repairs were completed.